The term Rock ‘n Roll and the musical style
had been around in the United
States for many years previously.

Rock ‘n Roll had been a popular term, for
decades, in Black American Culture to refer to dancing or sex and had been used
in many songs.

Prior to the late 1940s the term used to
denote music by black American artists for black audiences was Race Music. The
record industry introduced the less emotive term Rhythm ‘n Blues as a marketing
ploy to sell black music to white audiences.

The term Rhythm ‘n Blues has run side by
side with Rock ‘n Roll since that time.

In 1951 Disc Jockey Alan Free used to term
Rock ‘n Roll to refer specifically to music when he started his radio show “Moondog Rock 'n Roll Party” which played black music for a
white teenage audience.

Bill Haley and His Comets

The term Rock ‘n Roll became mainstream
with Bill Haley and His Comets in 1954 but the style he adopted was very close
to that of Louis Jordan who had been playing in that style for a over a decade.
Bill Haley’s popularity burnt out after a couple of years, although he had
several revivals up to 1974, and Rock ‘n Roll was carried forward by Elvis Presley,
Little Richard and others.

The white
Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed decides to speculate on the success of LeoMintz's store and starts a radio program, MoondogRock'n'Roll Party, that
broadcasts black music to an audience of white teenagers.